Iron Hill to Toast Brewer’s Birthday with Dark Humor Rising

MEDIA, PA – On Thursday, September 27, from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., the region’s most celebrated brewery and restaurant, Iron Hill (30 East State Street, 610-627-9000), will toast their award-winning head brewer Bob Barrar’s 40th birthday with Dark Humor Rising, a tasting of rare and exciting iterations of his Dark Humor porter. Originally brewed in collaboration with brewer Jeff O’Neill then of Ithaca Brewing Company, now of The Peekskill Brewery, Dark Humor is a 100% brettanomyces-fermented porter that is luxuriously chocolate-y with an earthy, sour character. For Dark Humor Rising, Barrar brewed a fresh batch and aged the special beer in a variety of other spirit barrels. Draught tastes, large-format bottles and even an extremely limited quantity of the original vintage of Dark Humor will be available for sale.

“Working at Iron Hill has been a dream for me – I’m not only allowed but encouraged to create unusual and exciting beers that many other breweries would shy away from,” says Barrar, Iron Hill’s most decorated brewer who is now the owner of 23 medals, including nine from the World Beer Cup (WBC) and 14 from the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). “Dark Humor is a great example of why I’m proud to work for Iron Hill, and it is a pleasure to share it on this milestone birthday with the fans and friends who continue to make my job every day so great.”

Dark Humor beers available during Dark Humor Rising will include:

Vintage March 2011 Dark Humor (brewed at Ithaca)

Vintage May 2011 Dark Humor (brewed in Media)

Rum Barrel Aged Dark Humor

Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Humor

Sherry Barrel Aged Dark Humor

Tawny Port Barrel Aged Dark Humor

Ruby Port Barrel Aged Dark Humor

Quantities of this extraordinary beer are very limited and are expected to sell out. Guests will be able to enjoy Dark Humor in a variety of ways: on Draught, as a Sampler (tastes of all Dark Humor beers for $16); and in Large-Format Bottles, perfect to take home or give as gifts (750 mL for $29.95).

In addition, Chef David Anderson has created a special menu of plates designed exclusively to pair with Dark Humor and available only during this event including: Blue Cheese Progression Plate, featuring gorgonzola dolce, Bayley Hazen and cabrales cheeses with smoked paprika-toasted almonds, chocolate-pumpkin seed spread and frozen blueberries, best paired with ruby port and tawny port Dark Humor; Veal Carpaccio with sherry-braised shallots and micro greens, best paired with sherry Dark Humor; Caribbean-Spiced Pork Porterhouse with caramelized mango and pineapple salsa and brown sugar-glazed sweet potatoes, best paired with rum Dark Humor; Grilled New York Strip with extra-sharp white cheddar mashed potatoes and Dark Humor-braised onion demiglace, best paired with original Dark Humor; and Triple Chocolate Cookie Sandwich with malted bourbon-pecan ice cream, best paired with bourbon Dark Humor. Dishes range in price from $5.95 to $27.95.

Founded by home brewers Mark Edelson and Kevin Finn and restaurateur Kevin Davies in Newark, DE in 1996, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant is the region’s fastest-growing restaurant group, blossoming from one restaurant and brewery to nine locations across the mid-Atlantic. Each is dedicated to producing and serving top-quality hand-crafted beers and cuisine in a warm and hospitable setting, and all are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Their acclaimed beers have accumulated a wealth of awards from the nation’s top beer festivals, and their restaurants have earned more than 100 “Best of” nods from local and national publications.